The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1887-07-27
The Sailp 8Mlletim.
WEDNESDAY,, july ~, 1887.
SClNDIAs HOARDED TREASURE.

The one picturesque feature Of
Sir Auckland Colyin's Financial
Statement was the unexpected an
nouncement that Of the annual Pub
lie Works Loan for five-and-a-half
crores of rupees, three-and-a-half
crores would be obtained by the in
vestment in Government securities
at the desire of the Gwalior Board
of Regency of treasure boarded by
the late Maharajah Scindia. In re-
turn for the use of money that has
long been lying buried in the ground
the young Maharajah will receive
some fourteen lallhs Of rupees an
nually-no insignificant addition to
his income, even though he has
rent-roll of over crore of rupees,
that is of more than million
pounds. Many legends and fables
are current in India as to boarded
wealth, and the unearthing of
Scindia's treasure by the Financial
Secretary to the Government of In
dia is likely to give them renewed
vitality. The money, according to
the custom of the Scindia family,
was carefully concealed in large
pits, the whereabouts of which was
only known to q few. Mr.. West
land, when he was called in by the
Gwalior Board of Regency, found
that treasure to the extent of more
than five million sterling has been
accumulated in pits and wells, sunk
in the floors of vaults in the women's
quarters Of the palace. These
vaults were partially underground,
and daylight was only admitted to
each of them through narrow slip
in the walls. After removing the
earth for depth of six feet, the
workmen uncovered smooth and
level pavement of large hag-stones.
When these had been lifted they
saw a square pit filed to the brim
wit hglittering silver. There were
several of these secret treasures, in
one or two of which jewels were
concealed, but most of them con-
tanned about fifteen lakhs of Gwalior
rupees. In each pit, says our Simla
correspondent, there was besides
The money copper-plate on which
was engraved the amount it con-
tanned, and the name of the official
under whose orders the stock has
been placed there, for the secret
of this enormous wealth was only
entrusted to few confidential SER
wants. The money was then dug
up and shovelled Into bags to the
amount of three and a half crores of
rupees, which will be sent to the
Calcutta mint in instalments of
eighty lakhs of rupees, the first in
stalment having already reached its
destination. The rupees, we are
told, are of pure silver, and are
clean and bright looking, as if they
had come spick and span from the
Gwalior Mint, for it seems to have
been the Maharajah's custom to put
away only freshly coined rupees into
his treasure vaults. All this reads
like tale of the Arabian Nights, or
some half-mythical incident in the
story of the conquest of Peru.
The loan to Government of three
and-a-half crores of rupees by one
of the great feudatory houses has o
practical as well as picturesque
side. In completing this transaction
the Scindia Durbar has given a
splendid hostage to fortune, for no
prince is eyer likely to be disloyal
himself, or to wink at disloyalty in
his subjects, so long as the Gov
eminent of India hold three-and-a
half million pounds of his fortune
In hard cash. In accepting the
loan the Government have tapped
new source of national wealth,
which, in spite of the comments of a
portion of the native press, will, we
trust, be applied to the development
of the country. The wealth of the
French nation was never really
known until Napoleon the Thirds
financial advisers induced the lower
middle classes TO take their savings
from the proverbial stocking and in
vest them in French rentes. This
he accomplished by issuing his new
loans in very small pieces. Some
thing of the same kind might be at
tempted here by and by, for the
practice of boarding is common to
all classes, out of the Presidency
towns, but the Government may
very well remain satisfied for some
time to come if their princely in
yestors are able to lend them two or